The Pope Doubles Down on Calls for Action on Climate Change

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Pope Francis sent out a call to all bishops in the Roman Catholic Church for urgent action on climate change. "The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life," the pontiff says in the letter, which also calls for an end to fossil fuels.

It's a strong edict coming from the head of the church, who called inaction on climate change "collective selfishness." It also marks another step in a more activist Catholic church—though, as Fox News noted, Francis' predecessors Benedict XVI and John Paul II called for action on climate change as well. The New York Times has a full analysis of the papal letter.

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Already two of GOP presidential candidates for 2016, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, have lined up to oppose the pope's edict, as CNN notes. Former Sen. Rick Santorum expressed skepticism, too. Both Bush and Santorum are Catholics. The Southern Baptist Convention, Cruz's denomination, has taken a moderately skeptical approach to climate change while still calling for environmental stewardship.